Meet Moody, the seven year old who can CAIRO: All parents are proud of their kids and it is not uncommon to find them comparing notes, boasting which of their children is better in school or at athletics. Crowning moments are when children start walking by the age of one; are thrilled when they say their first word at two. So you can only imagine Wael's exhilaration when his son recited the whole multiplication table at the tender age of four. His son, Mahmoud, is Egypt's celebrity genius; with an IQ score of 155 (tested by professors at Mansheyat Al-Bakry Hospital). Nearly eight, Mahmoud has caught the attention of the media - and pride of Egyptians - and has been on various high profile TV shows like "Qahira Al-Yom with Emad Adib and "Ana Wi el-Nas, hosted by Hussein Fahmy. Moody, as his parents have nicknamed him, is not a supercilious spoiled kid and most definitely cannot be described as arrogant. On the contrary, he is a shy boy with a quiet voice, who keeps looking at his father for support while being interviewed. He was especially quiet at first and not very responsive when asked about his personal life. In fact, he was slowly shrinking in his seat - but once he got calculating, he sprung to life. "What's 1,350,000 x 1,350,000? asks Wael. "18,225,000,000,000, answers Mahmoud almost immediately. This goes on for a while, as father and son show off their mathematical skill, leaving me baffled and feeling not so bright. Mahmoud can calculate arithmetic into the trillions. A cute kid with a skinny frame, fluffy hair, eyeglasses (adding that touch of the intellectual), tiny features and a big smile, Mahmoud knows how to put on a show in front of a camera. Physically, he is a child but with the mental capacity of an 18-year-old. What is astonishing is the way he carries himself and talks like an infant, even though he is so advanced mentally. You would never get the impression that he is a child prodigy - that is, however, until you pick his brain. Socially Mahmoud has no handicaps. "The kids in my class treat me normal, it's the ones from the older classes that ask me questions, he says. Wael discovered his son's sharpness a few months before he turned four, when Mahmoud knew an answer to a math equation his older sister was doing. "I was passing by Abla's room and I heard my father say the answer and I learned it by heart. Later when he asked Abla, she got it wrong but I remembered the answer. Since that day we started studying numbers, he explained to The Daily Star Egypt. By the time Wael was in kindergarten he was already well advanced in mathematics, while his classmates were still learning numbers. His gift was recognized by teachers immediately, and later by the Ministry of Education. Two years ago, Mahmoud moved from the state-run Arabic language school he used to attend, to Greenland International Language School; at the time his only disadvantage was that he couldn't speak English. After 50 hours of intensive English courses at the America University in Cairo, he passed the English exam for the first grade, proving that he was on the same level of his peers who had been taking English for the past three years. When he first applied to AUC, Mahmoud was rejected because of his age. Wael petitioned the president of the university, David Arnold, until they finally enrolled him in the English class. This is not the only time Wael has had to fight for Mahmoud in the educational system; unfortunately the government does not encourage gifted children, consequently the educational system tends to contain talent rather than giving it the right nourishment to bloom. Luckily Mahmoud's family members are all intellectuals and firmly believe in personally educating their children. His mother Lubna - who is a biology teacher - comes from a family of eight that were house schooled by their father (a math whiz himself) and graduated to become doctors and professors. Wael is a physician, whose father was also a mathematic enthusiast. In a controlled setting, the family would be perfect for a case study of nature versus nurture. In addition to his obvious mathematical talents, Mahmoud has lately discovered a passion for computers - and has engrossed himself in the world of 1s and zeros. Although Mahmoud shies away from personal questions, he did say that his favorite hobby is playing football. Mahmoud supports Zamalek, one of Cairo's top teams. Wael is still fighting the Egyptian educational system to allow his son to skip a few grades. He feels like what he is studying is a waste of time, especially since he has already finished syllabuses through the fifth grade at home, although he just started third grade. As for university, Wael is open to a university abroad sponsoring his son, as long as he does not have to give up his Egyptian passport. Moody jokes, "Wouldn't it be better if I had turned out to be a football player, then I would have gotten a sponsor for sure! Mahmoud wants to be a mathematician or a scientist when he grows up, like his role model Ahmed Zewail, the Egyptian 1999 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry. His father adds, "All we can do for now is continue strengthening his gift.
